


seven minutes in the dark

by letthesongtakeflight



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: 50 Ironwidow Kisses, 50 Kinds of Kisses, Alternate Universe - High School, Closeted Character, F/F, Kissing Prompt, Seven Minutes In Heaven Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/letthesongtakeflight/pseuds/letthesongtakeflight
Summary: // The smile disappeared from Toni’s face. Her heartbeat quickened, and not in a good way. She was pretty sure that she was the only one in the group who hadn’t been kissed yet. And there was only one person she wanted to be her first kiss. A certain redheaded someone. Who was as straight as all her ballerina friends and had probably kissed loads of boys, and would know straight away that Toni was a kiss virgin. But her first kiss was meant to be special and Toni wanted no one else to have it. So she wanted nothing less than to take part in the lose/lose situation seven minutes in heaven was sure to be. //Kiss prompt 44. Tentative kisses given in the dark.
Relationships: Natasha Romanov/Tony Stark, background Bruce Banner/Thor, background steve rogers/bucky barnes - Relationship
Comments: 12
Kudos: 39
Collections: 50 Ironwidow Kisses





	seven minutes in the dark

The lights in Steve's basement were warm and yellow. The slightly musty, too-warm air was filled with laughs, shouting, and the smell of teenage hormones. Toni sat cross-legged on the floor, between Thor’s massive form on one side and Rhodey's comforting presence on the other. Bucky spun the bottle in the centre of the circle. Green glass spun, graceful as Natasha pirouetting on stage. The slower it got, the faster Toni’s heart beat. It landed on Natasha.

“Dare,” Natasha pronounced without thinking. She never picked truth.

“What _haven_ ’t you done?” Bucky tapped his chin. “I dare you to steal something from Mrs Rogers's room.” He pointed upstairs. “While she sleeps."

Steve, being the momma’s boy, would probably have protested if it had been anyone other than his boyfriend who suggested it.

Without another word, Natasha was up the stairs. She was back in ten minutes, holding a framed photo of Steve as a skinny seven-year-old. She showed it to Bucky like a medal. Bucky looked at Steve, who confirmed, “That’s on my mom’s dresser.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows in admiration. “Wow.”

Natasha smirked. “I’m light on my feet. If ballet doesn’t work out I can always be a thief.”

“Or a spy,” Sam put in.

“No way, Nat would be a shit spy,” Toni said without thinking. “Way too pretty to disappear in a crowd.”

“Got a crush, Stark?” Bucky teased. Toni’s face got warm and she hid it by joining in with the others’ laughter. She was happy and nervous both to be sixteen, to have friends for once, to be hanging out with them instead of poring over her math textbook alone at home, doing college-level calculus.

Natasha spun the bottle and it landed on Rhodey.

He thought for a moment. “Truth,” he said. 

Natasha’s head tilted to the side as she thought. Her hair was a copper braid that fell across her shoulder. “Who was the last person you asked out and rejected you?”

He gave a nervous chuckle. From her vantage point next to him, Toni could see the tips of his ears turning pink. “Carol Danvers.”

“Dayum Rhodes!” Sam laughed.

“Everyone knows she’s a lesbian,” Thor said after he was done guffawing.

“Yeah, well,” Rhodey defended, embarrassed, “She’s a senior so I figured I might as well try to ask her out before she leaves school. So I hung back after baseball practice a couple weeks ago and asked her out. Predictably she turned me down but hey,” he shrugged, “at least I have a clear answer.”

“That’s brave,” Natasha said, a twinge of admiration in her voice. She sat with one knee up and the other down, arms around the leg that was up and her chin resting on her knee. Toni was surprised – she didn’t think that courage was something Natasha – who regularly performed on stage and could nick something from a sleeping Mrs Rogers’s bedroom – lacked.

Rhodey spun the bottle next and it pointed at Clint.

“Truth,” he said cockily.

Rhodey gave Toni a mischievous look before he asked Clint, “Are you and Natasha dating or have ever dated?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” Natasha rolled her eyes. 

“No,” Clint replied confidently. “We tried going on one date back in freshman year and it was honestly the worst date I’ve ever been on.”

“Jeez, thanks,” Natasha deadpanned. “Now they’re gonna think I pick my nose in public or have hair lice or something.” She glanced around the circle and accidentally met Toni’s eyes, sitting directly across from her. “Which I done,” she hurriedly clarified, glaring at Steve and Sam who were sniggering openly.

“No, you’re just at awkward gremlin,” Clint affectionately nudged his best friend. Out of the group, they had known each other for the longest, having been best friends since they were eight. Except Steve and Bucky, who grew up next door to each other.

“That I am,” Natasha owned.

Looking at Natasha’s rakish smile, her green eyes, the elbow resting casually on Clint’s knee, Toni thought that she was anything but.

“I’m bored with truth or dare,” Thor declared. “Let’s play something else.”

“Seven minutes in heaven,” Bucky piped up, eyeing Steve.

A groan went up collectively. Ever since the pair started dating, they couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

The smile disappeared from Toni’s face. Her heartbeat quickened, and not in a good way. She was pretty sure that she was the only one in the group who hadn’t been kissed yet. And there was only one person she wanted to be her first kiss. A certain redheaded someone. Who was as straight as all her ballerina friends and had probably kissed loads of boys, and would know straight away that Toni was a kiss virgin. But her first kiss was meant to be special and Toni wanted no one else to have it. So she wanted nothing less than to take part in the lose/lose situation seven minutes in heaven was sure to be.

“ _Yes_ ,” Steve, ever the little shit, agreed. “Seven minutes in heaven.”

“Why don’t you two go make out somewhere?” Rhodey protested.

“Yeah, isn’t your room upstairs, Steve?” Thor added.

“But where’s the fun in that?” Bucky said. “It’s all about the tension.”

“You won’t be saying that when Steve gets to kiss me,” Sam said, making kissy lips at Steve.

“That’s what I mean! The _tension_!” Bucky groaned dramatically.

“You guys are messed up,” Toni said. 

“So what if we are?” Steve said, at the same time Bucky said, “Stop shaming us, Toni, just cause you don’t have a girlfriend.”

“Fine.” Natasha’s voice cut through. “We’ll play seven minutes in heaven."

Just like that the verdict was given. Everyone else settled back into the circle, but there was a slight tension that hummed in the air. They all shifted nervously in their seats.

Thor did the honours, spinning the bottle first. Its deadly glided over each of them quickly. Toni held her breath as it slowed – it approached her – she fought the urge to cover her face with her hands and peak through her fingers – and the bottle slid past her, landing on Bruce.

The flash of glee on her lab partner’s face came so quickly that Toni almost missed it. She shot him a questioning look, not quite bothering to conceal the judgemental look on her face – Bruce was way too smart to like a jock – but he was too busy looking at Thor. The quarterback shrugged, his usual charming smile on his face. The pair headed into the broom closet.

“Get it, Banner!” Rhodey cheered.

Seven minutes later, Bruce and Thor re-emerged. Bruce’s unruly curls were even more ruffled, and there were more loose strands than normal that escaped from Thor’s ponytail. Thor winked at Bruce, who raised his eyebrows suggestively at the football player.

They rejoined the circle. Bruce passed the bottle to Toni. 

“I’ll pass,” she replied, looking at the bottle with distrust.

“I’ll go,” Natasha spoke up.

“Hoping to get someone special?” Clint teased.

“Anyone but you, fart face,” she shot back. She leaned forward and with deft fingers plucked the bottle from in front of Toni. She spun the bottle in the centre of the circle, and golden light danced over the green glass. It made several full laps before it slowed down, dragging out one suspenseful lap, then an even slower one, before slowing to a stop in front of Bruce again. Just before it came to a complete stop it slid over ever so slightly – pointing straight at Toni.

_Fuck._

She looked up from the gleaming green bottle to Natasha’s gleaming green eyes, looking at her expectantly from across the circle. There was an almost-smile her face, as though she were suppressing a larger one. Excitement danced on the corners of her mouth.

Toni’s mouth went dry. Her hear hammered so hard in her chest she thought she would have a heart attack. She wasn’t sure how she felt except that she wanted to collapse and possibly die before she went into that broom closet with Natasha.

Rhodey clapped her on the back, half laughing. Toni immediately regretted telling him about how irresistibly pretty she found Natasha. She shot her friend a look of betrayal, missing the similar glare Natasha gave Clint as he wolf-whistled.

Natasha stood up in a single fluid motion. She held herself like life was a dance she knew the steps to. Completely still when she wasn’t in motion, but strung with a quiet tension, ready to flow into action when the cue came. Like now, when she met Toni’s eyes and tilted her head towards the broom closet, extending one hand to the girl who still sat cross-legged on the floor.

Toni took a deep breath. She willed her body to move. Her legs felt like putty. She took Natasha’s offered hand. It was slightly a little calloused and cool to the touch. She scrambled clumsily to her feet. Natasha shot her a smirk – Toni wasn’t sure if it teasing or comforting. Natasha led her towards the closet. If the others said anything, Toni couldn’t register it over the pound of blood in her ears.

“Ladies first,” Natasha said, holding the closet door open for Toni. Toni couldn’t formulate the words to ask, but the question must have been evident on her face, because Natasha let out a little chuckle, saying, “I’m many things, Toni, but a lady is not one of them.”

Toni entered the closet. Natasha slipped in after and closed the door behind them. It was a small, cramped space – Toni had always been small for her age and Natasha had the lithe build of a ballerina, but even so their bodies were just touching. The coherent part of Toni’s brain wondered how Thor and Bruce both fit in here, as it looked a tight fit for Thor alone.

Toni swallowed. In the dark, she was hyper-aware of the smell of cleaning products and the sound of their mingled breathing.

“You okay?” Natasha asked.

Even though she didn’t feel remotely okay, Toni nodded. Too late, she realised that Natasha couldn’t see the gesture.

Natasha gave a low chuckle. “Fitting that we’re doing this in a closet.”

Toni had to let out a little giggle at that. “Didn’t think I’d ever be back in here.”

“In that case, welcome to my home,” Natasha said drily.

“ _What?!”_ Toni gasped. “Holy shit, I had no idea!”

“Yeah.” Natasha gave a big sigh and it washed over Toni’s face, smelling a little like warm spices and orange. “Clint’s the only one who knows. And now you.”

“Wow,” Toni breathed. Her heart was still going dangerously fast, but for a completely different reason now. She struggled to contain the happiness in her voice. “Thanks for telling me, Natasha, I’m really glad, and honoured, too. But – why me?”

Natasha shuffled her feet, which only resulted in her shifting a little closer to Toni. “I figured you’d get it.”

“Yeah – of course I do,” Toni said hurriedly. She wanted to take Natasha’s hands but was also too scared to initiate contact.

“Thanks.” It was Natasha who reached for Toni and squeezed her arm. “And this goes without saying but – you won’t tell the others?” A little bit of prickly, defensive Natasha was back. She tried to make it threat but couldn’t help the ending curling up into a question.

“I wouldn’t out anyone,” Toni replied indignantly. “But you do know that basically none of them are straight, right?”

“I know, but… ballerinas aren’t exactly the friendliest to gays.”

“Oh, right, of course.” If Natasha hadn’t been holding her arm, Toni would have smacked herself in the forehead for being so dumb. “Why tell me now?”

“Maybe because,” Natasha moved even closer. Close enough that even though her voice was barely a whisper, Toni could feel her breath ghost across her face. “In the dark, I can be brave enough to do what I’m afraid to do in the light.”

She leaned in and her lips almost brushed Ton’s when – “Wait.”

Natasha drew back. “What’s wrong?”

Toni closed her eyes. Even though she couldn’t see either way. “I, uh.” Her face was hot as she admitted in a mumble, “I’ve never kissed anyone before.” 

“Oh.” Quiet surprise. A breath, in and out. “In that case,” Natasha prompted shyly, “may I have your first kiss?”

Toni nodded. “Yeah,” she breathed. "You may. But no judging”

Natasha gave a little giggle. “Promise.” She leaned in again. This time Toni didn’t stop her. Lips softer than Toni could ever have imagined pressed against hers. Natasha was gentle and careful, as though Toni might be scared off. As though she could go anywhere. As though she wanted to be anywhere else.

Toni’s eyes fluttered close. Natasha kissed her again and she kissed her back, tentative, experimental. Like she had seen in so many movies, so often between boys and girls but so rarely between two girls. Relishing the redhead’s little gasp of delight and contented sigh. Her heart danced in her chest. She shifted her arm so that her hand found Natasha’s fingers interlocking. More confident now, she followed Natasha’s lead when the redhead took her top lip between hers, and kissed Natasha’s bottom lip –

“Time’s up!”

The two girls drew back reluctantly. They opened the door and Toni blinked, even the warm light of the basement suddenly too bright after the darkness. They stayed, just for a moment, in the semi-darkness of the closet with the door open. They shared a final look with each other. For the first time since they entered the closet, Toni could see Natasha. 

“Thanks for the talk,” Natasha said quietly, out of the others’ earshot.

“Thanks for the kiss,” Toni replied in an equally low voice.

Together, they stepped out into the light.

**Author's Note:**

> Quite under-edited but I don't care.
> 
> If you liked this please leave a comment. I love hearing from you guys. It's a scientifically proven fact that the more comments I get the more I write.
> 
> I'm always taking fic requests on my tumblr @katebishopofearth


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